Survey: 71% of companies monitor employee social media use

Over seventy percent of corporations have visibility into employee use of social media, according to a recent survey from nCircle.

The online survey of 257 security professionals was conducted between February 4 and March 12, 2010, and covered a range of security topics in addition to social media, including smartphones, healthcare, and cloud computing.

Key findings include:

• 59% maintain a social media policy
• 39% of respondents’ organizations ban social media use
• 46% of respondents were unsure if their employees comply with social media policy, despite the majority having visibility into social media use.

“Even though almost 40% of respondents ban employee social media use, this type of policy is a knee-jerk reaction to the serious security risks associated with social media and is not necessarily effective,” says Andrew Storms, Director of Security Operations for nCircle.

Storms recommends employers engage in ongoing, detailed communication about the risks of social media so that employees better understand what types of activity do and do not affect corporate security.